From the streets of Valencia

After our memorable stay in Madrid we travelled down south to the beautiful city of Valencia, the third major city of Spain. The city well-known as the land of paella and orange is also home for the famous festivals like Las Fallas and the La Tomatina. Unfortunately, we were not able to witness these festivals during our visit, but we very well managed to explore the rich history as well as the modern part of the city. What we loved about Valencia was that it wasn’t over crowded with tourists like Barcelona and Madrid and hence we could enjoy the major attractions without much hustle bustle.

Plaza de la VirginPlaza de Toros de Valencia (The Bullring)North Railway Station of Valencia

We had reached Valencia on a Monday and were quite disappointed when we realized that most of the places we wanted to visit was closed. But this in turn gave us an opportunity to explore the city in a much relaxed pace and experience the life in the city from a locals perspective. Grabbing a city guide from hotel that provided detailed information on the architectural wonders of the city, we decided to walk around and admire as many sights as possible during our stay. Main part of our tour included exploring Ciutat Villa the historic downtown region, which exudes loads of charm and also an eye-opener on Valencia’s heritage and history.

Cathedral of ValenciaView of Iglesia San Nicolas from Career de la llotjaConvento de Santo DomingoMercat CentralLounging at the City of Arts and Science

The streets of Valencia are living proof of the rich art and cultural scene during the golden period in the city’s history. From the ancient gothic style cathedrals to modernist influenced architecture of the famous Central Market (Mercat Central), every structure has a different story to unfold and offers something new to admire.

Iglesia de Santos Juanes

Palacio del Marques De Dos Aguas

Ice cream breaks are a must when in ValenciaIglesia de San AgustinStatue at Iglesia San AgustinPlaza Redonda

Wandering through the old town, trying to pluck some luscious looking oranges, we reached the old entrance to the city Torres de Serranos, which once was used as the prison for nobility and these days’ people gather on top to watch the aeriel view of the city.

Ayuntamiento (The City Hall)

La Lonja de la SedaThe Torres de SerranoPuerta de la Mar

The city of Valencia is also famous for porcelain figurines and we came across a number of stores that had beautiful pieces on display. When we stumbled across the famous “Lladro” store, we contained ourselves and decided to take a peak here. The store displayed some exquisite piece of art made of finest porcelain. The manager present in the store also suggested us to take tour of the Lladro factory and museum (hence the name “City of Porcelain”), which was located at the outskirts of the city. Much as we were tempted to take up the tour (which needs to be booked in advance), we had to resist ourselves as we had limited time we had in hand and moved on with the explorations.

Image Courtesy: http://www.lladro.com/porcelana/boutique_valencia/Lizard, lizard on the wall!!Fountain at Universidad de ValenciaStealing some oranges on the way!!

Our walking tour was an absolute delight as we happily took in everything the city had to offer. Walking down the cobbled lanes for long hours to unearth some of the lesser-known spots, we came across a number of absolutely stunning architectures. These buildings not only reflected the ancient history of the city but also gave new facet to the modern art scene present here.

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I am doing Western Europe in May/June. I already have Madrid/Barcelona/Costa Del Sol in my list. After seeing your awesome pictures, I am tempted. So what do you guys suggest? Regards, Soumya Nambiarhttp://www.travelbooksfood.com

Win! I can’t stand crowded places so if what you’re saying is right, I will put this on my travel list. Everyone talks about Madrid and I’m sure it’s super awesome but if Valencia offers a slower pace then I’m in! Great pictures too 🙂

What a wonderful guide. Valencia looks like a lovely city, and I’ll admit I am a sucker for porcelain. You should see my childhood bedroom. I was once a collector. Now that I live in a shoe box in NYC, I try to minimize, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look!!